The Internet has become a powerful medium for distributing multimedia, documents, and other content. Quickly and conveniently, users can download files from servers using client-server applications, and transfer files among other peers using peer-to-peer (P2P) applications.
One popular use of the Internet is sharing of multimedia files. P2P applications such as Kazaa and Morpheus allow users to share CD-quality music, images, and video.
However, these P2P applications also allow users to obtain the multimedia without paying for it. In certain instances, such file sharing can be unlawful.
The problem with file sharing is not limited to multimedia. It can also apply to documents. For example, a confidential document is obtained lawfully or unlawfully, and published for all to see on the Internet. Privacy rights and property rights can be compromised.
Stated more generally, the problem concerns the control of access rights. Authorized users (that is, those users having access rights) should be allowed access, and unauthorized users should be denied access. When an authorized user receives access rights, that authorized user should be prevented from sharing those access rights with unauthorized users.
Legal remedies have been sought to address this problem. For example, legal action was used to stop Napster. However, the legal remedies tend to eliminate powerful file distribution applications and force content to be distributed via less efficient distribution channels (e.g., “brick and mortar” stores”).
It would be desirable to control access rights, without discouraging use of these P2P applications. The Internet is a powerful distribution medium, and its use should not be discouraged.
A separate problem concerns the transfer of a user's access rights from one platform to another. Multimedia and documents can be displayed on all sorts of devices, some of which are portable. For example, MP3 files can be played on desktop computers, PDAs, MP3 players, notebook computers, etc. Mobile users should be able to carry their access rights and use those access rights wherever they go. It would be desirable to have a system that allows an authorized user to easily transfer his or her access rights from one platform to another.